Back in twenty-aught-eight, the first year that "Spikes" appeared as the name of this meet (Spikes, the meet's sponsor, is an athletic shoe store in Holly Hill, Florida), the final results contained all of five colleges (ERAU among them), and four high schools. Fast forward seven years, and the 2015 results included 46 colleges and 48 high school scoring teams (male and female teams counted separately). It is anybody's guess as to how many non-scoring teams and clubs were represented. All this, one must know, comes the same weekend as ten other Florida track meets, the highly publicized Florida Relays among them.
What happened to make this one of the biggest track meets in the state was a combination of a good date (the weekend before the beginning of the state's qualifying rounds), perfect weather, and "doing the right thing year after year," as was surmised by Embry Riddle distance coach Peter Hopfe.
Included among the registration was not only an army of in-state contestants, but also those from as far north as Quebec, Canada, and as far east as Ireland, central Europe, and Africa. Results are provided on the flrunners.com website in several formats: high school, college, and university (including those registered as middle school participants, club members, unattached athletes that might be either middle or high school aged non-team members, masters athletes, and national and international competitors winter training in Florida).
The full story goes well beyond what one man with a camera can adequately cover. However, there's always next year to see it yourself.
Seniors Rule...
To those who have seen him, athletes can't help but think, "At that age, I want to be like Joe Johnston."
It was Friday night and the Spikes Meet had barely gained any forward momentum when THE pole vaulting legend, Joe Johnston, had already taken command of the runway. Having heard that he was previously out of town, this writer introduced himself by asking, "You're back?"
Without looking up he responded, "Not quite there yet," referring to the current crossbar height--8'--rather than my query concerning his geographic location.
This was, of course, a typical response from a down to earth septuagenarian--Joe is 71--who likes nothing better than to be as high above it as possible. He likes pole vaulting so much, in fact, that he has built himself a humble arena which admiring athletes have nicknamed "The Joe Dome."
Rephrasing what I had heard from Brian Clarke--Lyman vaulter Sean Clark's father--I asked where he had gone while away from his home in Apopka.
"My wife Janet and I did a tour," he explained. "Colorado doesn't count because I got altitude sickness and didn't jump there. We went to Kenosha, Wisconsin for the 2015 National Masters Indoor Championships."
Joe was first in the M70 Heptathlon with 4557 points. Along the way, he cleared 8' 2 ¼" in the pole vault. (Results on the March 7th to 8th meet are on decamouse.com.)
"It's an indoor version of the decathlon. We started with a sixty meter dash; long jump was second, then shot put, then the high jump. That was day one--four events. On the second day, we started with the 60 hurdles--30" for me--then did the pole vault, then we ran the 1000.
"I think I vaulted 8' there. Not so good that day. I used a short pole. That's what you do in a multisport event. You make any height, just to get the points."
At Spikes, Johnston was far less inhibited. Using a pole more his style, he cleared 3.05 meters (10' 5/64").
"That's a PR for this year. We'll take everything we can get, every one."
With just as much enthusiasm, but a lot more PRs in her future, Jacksonville's Zoe Harper (a senior at Ponta Vedra High School) was following right along in the wake of Johnston's heights, as well as his generous advice. (Before long, Joe was running the event.)
"I don't compete for my high school," Zoe said. "I am unattached. My school doesn't have the resources for me to pole vault there, so I found a coach--Eli Sunquist--who can help me. I've jumped 12 feet so far. I am hoping for 13 this year, but we'll see."
In this meet, Zoe made 11 feet (good enough to win the Women's College/Open category). The one caveat was that at first she was jumping with the men, but stopped at 11' to wait for the women's event, which followed, and might have cooled down for too long.
...And Juniors Aspire to Do So
This is one of those few meets where the non-matriculated (high school or college) can compete with the best. Sometimes "the best" turns out to be a whole lot better than you might otherwise have chosen to compete with. Nonetheless, in many cases, it brings out something entirely unexpected in the athlete. Take, for example, 13 year old Ashley Klingenberg of Altamonte Springs.
No stranger to competition--she came in with two recently won Seminole County Middle School Championships (2:25.20 in the 800 and 5:26.10 in the 1600, both this past February 21st)--this Teague Middle School student is primed for prime time.
Running in heat #2--heat #3 was the seeded heat, and held seven of the top eight times--Ashley had two things to contend with. The first was that she was arguably in the wrong heat, and the second was the presence of University of Tampa freshman Carly Bunting. The latter, a South River, Maryland recruit (class of 2014) took charge of both the pace and the field, leading almost from the start. Klingenberg was hot on her heels, and in lap three passed her to take over the lead herself.
"My goal was just to try to run the race, but it turned out a lot better," Ashley told me the next day, after her 400 (1:02.69). "The competition was great, and it aided me in setting a PR. My previous best was 5:09 at the AAU Junior Olympics in Des Moines, Iowa (July 6, 2014). It was a while ago, but....
"(In this race) I was waiting until the wind died down, so she--Bunting--could take the wind and I wouldn't have to work any harder than I had to. I just heard the crowd say that we were in lap two, and I was a bit confused." (It is a 3 ½ lap race.) "Then I heard the bell (one lap to go) and I realized she was slowing down, and I could pass her with a lap to go. After that, I pushed it, as hard as I could, to the finish.
"I'm really excited because that's a big PR. I was expecting maybe a 5:09. Now, I think I can lower it to a 4:30 by the end of the season. In high school, my goal is to get a state championship.
Ashley's 4:48.61 placed her at the tail end of the scoring places in the University division at this meet (8th place for one point). Although there was one of Ashley's Central Florida Glider teammates (Mya Bodrato, 5:09.60, also from Heat #2), and three 8th graders behind her, the rest of the field, 70 finishers in all, were almost all college runners.
Ashley Klingenberg has a bright future ahead of her indeed.
Joining her in being at the pinnacle of her age group, not only in the metric mile (1600 in this case), but also in the 800, was Lake Brantley's Sinclaire Johnson. Her seed times were 2:10 and 5:01.9, placing her at the top of both lists as far as expectations.
"It definitely put a little pressure on me," she agreed after her second race. "I came in wanting to run under 2:10. It was a little hot, but I'm used to that. The conditions were right. I went in thinking 'If there are girls in there who will push me, that will help,' but I don't worry about the competition.
"I wanted to come out in 63, which is what didn't go right. I came out in 65, saw my time, and decided to push the second lap. It was too late. The second lap is always going to be slower for me.
"I don't need to beat myself up for the time. I still have the state series, where it really counts. My training is designed to peak at the end of the season, when it is most important. And I want to defend my two titles, in the 800 and 1600 (2:12.30 and 5:01.49, respectively, at the 4A FHSAA Championships on May 1, 2014) and run under 2:10 (she ran 2:10.8 in winning the May 14th, 2014 Golden South Meet) and 5:00 respectively.
"My parents have a lot to do with all this. They've been there supporting me from Day 1. This inspires me, and makes me feel confident in myself and in what I can do."
Weapons of War?
Since the only way that a discus, shot put, or hammer could find a true mark would be purely accidental, their connection to weapons actually used during "ancient times" is greatly exaggerated. Watch these events in progress and you'll quickly learn that it's anybody's guess as to where they will land, and therefore rarely results in an accuracy that reflects the thrower's best intentions. Chuck and duck!
Speaking from experience, the discus can really hurt if you don't pay attention to where it is going, and hopefully a person can move faster than an incoming shot put...unless it is shot from a cannon. I was reminded of that image in a recent visit to the Deland Flea Market. Labeled as a cannonball, and selling for a good deal of money--even though it was marked with a modern "8"--I could not convince that vendor it wasn't a Civil War relic. I'm not sure how that turned out, but if it worked, it could be a good way for track teams to raise some extra cash. (Don't like your ball? Sell it on e-bay!)
The hammer can be traced back to the first Scottish Highland Games, and maybe even before that, well into the 13th and 14th century. During the Wars of Scottish Independence, it represented a protest against England's Edward I, otherwise known as "Hammer of the Scots" (Malleus Scotorium). Are we mocking him still? Today's track implement is a cross between a flail and a mace.
Whether used in combat against medieval opponents, or flying out of the cage at a track meet, the hammer deserves a great deal of respect. At this meet, one errant throw found its way past the safety net, landed on the track, and slid--cable, handle, and all--well over a hundred yards, until a distant fence finally stopped its momentum. Definitely a world record of some sort.
Later, the result of this marvel of misguided missiles was summarized by the official who watched with incredulity as it flew off into the distance: "The cage should be closed for both a right handed and left handed thrower. In this case, however, it wouldn't have mattered. It was a bad release." (Cause of death: a bad release!)
The javelin is yet another invitation to mischief. French for spear, this two-meter long, aerodynamic, metal-tipped shaft was once thrown by a special warrior (called a "peltast"). Like today's "Army of One"--featured in the Islandwide photo album--during ancient Greek wars this warrior would carry a handful of them. It survives today mostly through the generous support of the American University system. One trip to a track meet where the colorful jav is arcing aloft, and most anyone watching becomes an instant fan of the event, certainly wishing for a few throws themselves. (May I?)
Winning the Spikes University javelin throw with a distance of 186' 8 ½", Kameron Turner is a peltast par excellence. If first impressions are worth anything, this Embry Riddle senior (performing unattached due to his expired eligibility) is the kind of warrior you want on your side of the skirmish line.
A Palmdale, California native, Kameron has earned five All American awards while at ERAU, including the javelin, the pole vault and the heptathlon (indoors). His best marks were 188' in the javelin (at the 2014 Sun Conference Championships) and 16' ¼' in the pole vault (at the 2014 NAIA Outdoor Championships). So well-rounded an athlete is he, in fact, that he placed 8th in the heptathlon at the 2014 NAIA Indoor Championships (4801 points), and 6th in the decathlon at that same year's NAIA Outdoor Championships (6700 points).
And now?
"My last collegiate meet was three weeks ago," he said, seemingly without a hint of remorse. "I went to community colleges in California--Antelope Valley College my freshman year, and then transferred to Orange Coast College--before moving here three years ago. I was recruited for the pole vault and javelin."
When asked which one he holds dearest in his heart, his response reminds one of Don Juan de Javelino.
"I like the pole vault when I'm PR-ing, and I like the javelin when I need to let off steam."
Steamy as the weather was on this occasion--view the "Sunshine Park" album on the Spikes photo page--Kameron's boiling point was low enough to result in a throw just two feet short of his all-time best.
"I've had just one javelin practice this year. There is none indoors"--fortunately--"so before today I threw two months ago. Fresh arm (today), but I threw well. It's beautiful out (here). There was a nice tail wind breeze. The conditions were perfect."
When asked if athletes tend to gather in a set of familiar implements for their events, Kameron responded: "I have my own jav in my Subaru Outback that I lug around with me, but today I just kind of grabbed one and went with it. I'm not picky...the pole vault, however, is another story."
Where will that javelin-equipped Subaru take the business major after his May graduation?
"I probably won't continue in competitive track. I do intend to coach, however. I will probably coach the pole vault, javelin, and multi-sports; those are my strong points, possibly at Shorter University, in Georgia. Other than that.... They don't make job postings until the end of track season, or early summer."
Like Turner and his jav-in-an-Outback, USA Track and Field Certified Referee C. Anthony James also carries his resume in his car. Rather like a surveyor's electronic measuring device on a bright yellow tripod, his Laser Lynx comes with a hefty price tag.
"I bought the last parts in January,' Anthony told me, "and it added up to about $6500. As far as I am aware, I am the only referee in the state who owns one."
What is a Laser Lynx, you might ask? Basically, it is a laser-guided measuring device that, once set, can instantaneously measure such things as the javelin's distance from its launch point...or the final resting place of that aforementioned hammer, making Anthony one of a kind among his peers.
Hmm, come tax refund time, javelin or lynx? Tough decision.
Prodigies
One thing that will never change in track is the desire to determine what the future will bring. (Hence such prognostication tools as seed sheets, virtual meets, and Zelda the Mystic.) Those with true devotion--or too much time on their hands--scan the results sheets and search out clues to their next great champion. Whom among us hasn't claimed a young athlete as "his own," and in following that youngster's career rode a roller coaster of emotions with each turn of the wheel of fate?
In the eight scoring places of the meet's 18 events--ERAU added a 2000 meter steeplechase for the benefit of budding photographers--ten boys and fifteen girls were listed as high school freshmen. Additionally, among the girls was one set of twins (freshmen Brianna and Chelsea Basford, third and fourth, respectively, in the 3200; 12:26.84 and 12:30.88), and there were two seventh graders (Madison Hiteshew threw 102' in the discus, while Destiny Torres triple jumped 34' 4 ½"), not to forget a third, Ashley Klingenberg, who no doubt would have figured even more prominently in the High School Girls 1600 than she did in the College 1500.
Among the boys, one stands out in front of this "crowd"--Lorenzo Lingard, listed as a freshman. A very mature 15 year old, he is on target to upset more than a few apple carts as he hurdles through his next three and a half years of high school sports. At this meet, he was a double winner (14.77 in the 110 hurdles and 39.52 in the 300 hurdles), and as fate would have it, Demarcus Adams of Mainland, second in the 110s with a 15.39, is also a freshman.
It is easy to pick up the impression that Lorenzo's first love is football.
"Track to me is a must," he surmises, "because it prepares me for football. I am a running back. I was leading the area with 580 yards (8 touchdowns) and 13.5 yards per carry when I had a collar bone injury in my fourth game. I lost the rest of the season. So far, I have had offers from Iowa, the Georgia Bulldogs, UF, and Florida State. It's time for spring football, so I'll probably be working out more.
"As far as hurdling, I want to set the state record in both hurdles.
"In 5th and 6th grade I did AAU. I also ran the 100, 200, and 90 meter hurdles. I came out this year (ninth grade) because of the feeling of wanting to be on the track. So far, I've also run the 100 and 200, and high jumped. I hold the Claremont track record for freshman at 6'4', but I won't be doing that any more (this year) because it was too much with the hurdles. I'll probably go back to it next year, but now I spend so much time hurdling that I don't have time to practice (the high jump).
"I feel that the hurdles are my strongest event. I have a great coach (Orange City's Lisa Eggert, a javlinite herself) and the ability to get over the hurdles quickly. Right now the 110s are stronger because I've only done the 300s three times (four, counting his 39.52 PR at this meet)."
Lorenzo leaves the meet with two PRs in his pocket (his 14.77 was also a lifetime best), a handful of football promises, and an open door to track stardom.
On the Girls side, fellow Orange City Titan Mikeia Pooler pulled yet another double in the 100 hurdles (15.57) --her fifth straight in this event, this one by .02 over Timber Creek's Uzoamaka Mbionwu--and long jump (17' 7 ¼"). She just missed a third in the high jump with her 5'2" clearance. In the latter event, no less than five girls finished at that height, creating ties for first (Jenkins sisters, Abigail and Anna Sizemore) and third (Pooler and Laurice Evans of East River).
In the Girls 300 hurdles, it was Flagler's Josie Davis, who finished first with a 46.80 time, a PR, and her first win in that event.
"I was running 50s at the beginning of the season, but I wanted to get down to 47. At Winter Park, three weeks ago, I got down to 47.1, so coming into this race I was pushing to get first.
"There was a girl running in front of me, in lane two. About 200 or 250 meters out, she hit a hurdle sideways, and that took her down. I thought I had it, but at the finish a girl in lane 8 came up really close. I almost didn't see her."
That girl, Paige Peterson of Hagerty, is listed in the official results as finishing second in a time of 46.95.
"It was that close, but the 46.8 is a PR."
"My ultimate goal would be to qualify for States. I've already committed and signed to Converse College (Division 2) in South Carolina. I'm going to play soccer as well as compete in track. I want to go into that with a better time and better position."
The "Green" Card
To visitors from northern climes, the time of year we call "spring," would be considered even better than their full-fledged summer. When a number of athletes shed their sweats to reveal a skin tone with the reflectivity of the hard-packed sand of Daytona's World's Most Famous Beach, it became obvious who was, and who wasn't "from around these parts." One in particular was Phil Hardy, of Cork, Ireland.
"I'm at a training camp here," Phil explained. "We meant to go to the Florida Relays, but one of the guys couldn't get in. This meet turned out way better. It's a really quick track, and I had my fastest opener ever in the 100, and also in the 200. I won that one (Heat 3 of the preliminaries) too.
"(As it turned out) at UF there were negative winds, and (here) it was super-competitive as compared to Ireland, and (this meet) super organized."
Healy is currently attending University College Cork for nursing. She has a mind to use her youth and track success while she can.
"For the time being, running is taking precedence. I am running the European under-23 this year. After that are the World Relays in the Bahamas. We have a 4 X 1 entered there."
Although MileSplit has a presence in Ireland, at the present time, Phil's performance listings are sparse to non-existent. Her official PRs, such as they are, are listed as 7.36 in the 60 and 11.36 in the 100. At Spikes, her winning time in the 100 was 12.20, although she ran an 11.85 in the preliminaries (fastest women's time of the meet), and 24.14 in the preliminaries of the 200. Her name did not appear in the finals of the 200 on Saturday.
Depending on your source, statistics state that between 70 and 90% of all Canadians live within 100 miles north of its border with the US. I believe the reason for this uncertainty is a seasonal one; the colder it gets, the more Canadians choose to be below that border. Sherbrooke, Quebec is just such an example. Located just over Canada's border with Vermont, it shares the kind of weather that one would expect from one of our northernmost states: long winters and messy commutes, not to mention still frozen tracks.
Admittedly, it was that last prompt that brought a trio of French Canadians down for a week of sun and run. Included were Maxime Leveille (fifth in the Men's Decathlon with 5477 points), Ma Croteau-Vaillancourt (first in the Women's heptathlon with 4975 points), and Maude Leveille (third in the heptathlon).
"We were here to do our first outdoor heptathlon," explained Croteau-Vaillancourt. "It was the weather that brought us down. We didn't want to train outside. Maude and I had to make the standards for heptathlon at the World Youth Meet.
"We were in a training camp, and for Easter, for seven days on this track. My brother, Maxime, did the decathlon, and (me and) my friend Maude did the heptathlon. Maude and I did a PB in almost every event. It went well and was great."
Not quite as far as Canada, and just outside of Portland, is Gorham, Maine, home of the University of Southern Maine Huskies. Head coach George Towle has made a spring trip to Florida with his team an annual event since the start of his Girls Track program.
"We're on Spring Break and just spent seven days training at UNF in Jacksonville. It is our 17th year coming down to Florida and our second year at this meet. Our track is still under several feet of snow, kind of abnormal. We do have the luxury of an indoor facility, but it's always good to get outdoors. That may not be essential to the program, but it puts the finishing touches on a 15 year conference indoor and outdoor winning streak (for women). I think it's a key piece of our program and maybe it helps with recruiting to spend these seven days in Florida.
"We have 25 athletes here. Five of our top runners are either not here, or having medical issues. I would have liked to bring our full team. Our throwers did very well. Their coach, Becky O'Brien, is one of the top throwers in the nation. She finished second in the USATF Championships (February 28, 2015 with a 60' 2" shot put), and is training to be on the Rio (US Olympic) team."
Becky O'Brien attended and graduated from Greely High School, in Cumberland, Maine. While there she won four state indoor titles in the shot put (her best, as a senior, was 49' ¾"). Also in her senior year (2008), she won outdoor state titles in the javelin (123' 4") and discus (158' 4"). At the 2007 New England Outdoor Championships, she won and set meet records in the shot (51' 6 ½") and discus (161' 11"). After high school, O'Brien attended the University of Buffalo (New York), where she won four Mid-American Shot Put Championships: outdoor in 2010 and 2011 (53' 6 ¼" and 56' 6"); indoor in 2011 and 2012 (54' 9" and 54'). She went on to compete in three NCAA Championships (indoor in 2011 and 2012, and outdoor in 2011), finishing as high as sixth (53' 5 ¾" in 2011). So far in 2015, O'Brien finished second in the aforementioned USATF Indoor Championships and won the shot at the recent UF Relays (59' 9").
As Towle intimated, her influence continues in the athletes she coaches. In this meet, led by Briana Pina's winning 123' 10 ¼", USM took first, third, fourth, and fifth in the hammer (another of O'Brien's throwing abilities), and placed in the shot, discus, and javelin for 41 of their 71 third place points.
"She has made an impact for sure, and all the throwers are pretty solid. We are lucky to have her on our staff."
Big and Small, ERAU Had Them All
One of the smallest teams at the meet, number-wise, was Halifax Academy. Coached by middle school teacher Lori Levoy, and only in its first year of competition, it consists of just three athletes. Its spokesman and star sprinter is Tyquan Austin.
"It's my second year of running," Tyquan explained. "We came here with three people; that's all we have. I have a friend who is about to do the 100 (Shamar Dental), and there's also Darius Joyce, who throws the ball."
Coach Levoy picked up where Austin left off. "Tyquan ran at Spruce Creek last year. He was a transfer. Since the first day of school he's been asking me, 'When does track start?'
"I ran cross country at UCF, so the AD at Halifax asked me to coach. We don't even have a track or long jump pit. We practice in the parking lot. It's just a small school with 95 students. We do individualized programs, so everyone works at their own pace.
"I love it. They're awesome. At the last meet, at the School for the Deaf and Blind (St. Augustine), Tyquan won every event he competed in. You can only do four and he won all of them. I'm very proud of him."
On the other end of the spectrum there is Embry Riddle. Between the two eligible teams (men and women), and their alumni, training partners, and add-ons of every size, shape, and level of talent, the events were literally flooded by the gold, white and blue singlets of the host team. It was the Eagles' "aeriedrome," and by meet's end they had established that fact with two team wins: The men, with 150.5, doubled the points of runner-up Bethune Cookman College; their women won 107 to 94 over BCC.
Marina Levine is typical of an ERAU Eagle athlete. Outgoing, energetic, and, despite her size, able to find that extra step to win. In the 800, she won with cat-like cunning.
"I was conserving energy the first part of the race," she told me afterwards, "and then I went for it. I think her name was Betsy something, and she was killing it. At 50 meters, it was okay, go! Like a dead or dying fish, she was right there."
Marina's name literally means "of the sea," and she apparently knows a fish, in or out of water. Her 2:15.25 was not only a personal best, but, along with her leg in the previous day's 4 X 8, pretty much sealed the women's clinch on first (16 points and ERAU won by 13).
There's Close, and There's Close
While Marina was winning a close race down the stretch by .52 seconds, the High School Boys 1600 was about as close as close can get. Holy Trinity's Andrew Cacciatore hung on to a slim lead while three other runners followed with dogged determination: Andrew Stivers of Hagerty, Tanner Skotnicki of Winter Springs, and Nicholas Gonzalez of the Geneva School.
In the end, it was so close that even the winner didn't know if he had won.
"Anything can happen on any given Saturday," Cacciatore mused, "so I don't get arrogant and count anyone out. I went out a little slow in the beginning, so after a while I pushed the pace. In the back stretch of the last lap there were (still) three other guys (with him). They were still there on the final turn. I had to swing out into lane three and then tried to cut back in. Then it was just me and the guy from Hagerty (Stivers). I gave it everything I had left. It was only a matter of whether I could take the pain, and I still don't know who won."
When we finished the interview, Andrew returned to the team camp, and I headed for the timers' tent. The results had just come out of the copier, and there he was at the top of the list. The order of finish was Cacciatore, 4:29.30; Andrew Stivers, 4:29.31; Tanner Skotnicki, 4:31.50; and Nicholas Gozalez, 4:33.41. The difference in a race of 1600 meters was just one one hundredth of a second.
What shouldn't have been that close was, and what should have wasn't. That irony was due to the efforts of a junior by the name of Zach Halliday. With a stacked field in the Boys High School 400, there was only one way he could run: relaxed?
"I ran a 47.6 split at the Texas Relays last Saturday. I got a new strategy, to run relaxed at the end and stay stronger. I was in lane five and seeded second (49.12). The guy in lane four was seeded faster (James Turner, Boone; 49.09)."
In lane three was Juvon Treasure of Apopka (49.64).
"I came out fast," Zach continued, "and the kid from Apopka was coming up on me, so I had to speed up. I don't think I saw anyone after that. I had a good feeling."
Halliday's 48.72 prevailed. Treasure was second (49.80), and Turner finished third in 50.26.
Later, Halliday went 21.94 in the 200, third behind Michael Alexander of Timber Creek in 21.86 and Joshua Parramore of Apopka (21.93). There's that .01 second again!
None of the times in the high school boys, however, came close to taking the grand prize for splitting hairs. In the college 400, the top three were Gabor Pasztor, Andrew Bain, and Randall Dameron. Dameron, with a 47.3, was dusted, but Pasztor and Bain were both timed in 46.89, so the timer had to go to thousandths. Pasztor prevailed with 46.8810, while Bain was given a time of 46.8850. That's .004 seconds.
And when it's time to go, it's definitely time to go!
At 7:30 PM, the meet was 10 ½ hours old, two hours behind schedule--understandable with the mass of humanity involved--and yet the boys were still just now warming up for the pole vault. It was time for divine intervention. And we close on that note. (A picture is worth a thousand more words.)
More Coverage
- Complete Results & Coverage
- Featured Photo Album By Ralph Epifanio (2,275 Photos)
- Featured Photo Album By Ralph Epifanio (930 Photos)
- Featured Photo Album By Chris Epifanio (294 Photos)
Back in twenty-aught-eight, the first year that "Spikes" appeared as the name of this meet (Spikes, the meet's sponsor, is an athletic shoe store in Holly Hill, Florida), the final results contained all of five colleges (ERAU among them), and four high schools. Fast forward seven years, and the 2015 results included 46 colleges and 48 high school scoring teams (male and female teams counted separately). It is anybody's guess as to how many non-scoring teams and clubs were represented. All this, one must know, comes the same weekend as ten other Florida track meets, the highly publicized Florida Relays among them.
What happened to make this one of the biggest track meets in the state was a combination of a good date (the weekend before the beginning of the state's qualifying rounds), perfect weather, and "doing the right thing year after year," as was surmised by Embry Riddle distance coach Peter Hopfe.